


Hopelessly Devoted

by nerdlife4eva



Series: The Domestic Life and Love of Yuuri and Victor [9]
Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Adorable, Anxious Katsuki Yuuri, Buzzfeed, Domestic Fluff, Established Katsuki Yuuri/Victor Nikiforov, Fluff and Humor, Ice Skating, M/M, Post-Canon, Romantic Fluff, Russia, Songfic, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, VictUuri, Victor makes Yuuri do things, Wedding Planning, Yuuri doesn't really mind, victuuriwriters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-05
Updated: 2017-03-24
Packaged: 2018-09-28 13:35:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,522
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10105313
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nerdlife4eva/pseuds/nerdlife4eva
Summary: As Yuuri adjusts to life in Russia as Viktor continues to be excited about the progression of their relationship. When Buzzfeed requests their participation in a love-themed Valentine's Day couples article, Victor jumps at the chance, dragging a reluctant (but loving) Yuuri along with him.Theme Song:Say You Won’t Let GoYuuri and Victor make reference to the events in the following stories (which are also a part of the series The Domestic Life and Love of Yuuri and Victor):Rock, Paper, ScissorsBirthday ReunionWelcome Home Yuuri





	1. If Yuuri doesn't kill him, starvation might

On the very rare occasion that Yuuri was able to secure ice time without the entire Russian skating team present, he took it and used it for all it was worth. In those moments, he even forced Viktor to leave the rink, although he suspected that his fiancé sometimes hid away to watch him in secret. This particular evening, Yuuri found himself standing center ice, flushed and exhausted, but pleased with the work he had accomplished. His quad flip had finally become comfortable from start to finish and he couldn't wait to show Viktor the next day. Yurio's reaction probably wouldn't be uneventful either. Humming to himself with the pure pleasure of success, Yuuri glided over the ice gently letting his mind go blank. He let his skates create the music around him, each sound encouraging a new movement. There was never a time when he felt freer than when he let himself move without purpose, letting his body make all the decisions without input from his mind.

It was his loss of reality that caused him to miss the first phone call. The second one was missed because he registered the ring when he was stretching on the opposite side of the barrier. On the third attempt to reach it, he moved quickly enough to stumble to his bag, snagging the phone as he fell belly down on the bench. "Oph!" he exclaimed, the air whooshing from his lungs. He heard the worried stutter on the other end of the phone and scrambled to move into a sitting position.

"Yuuri?!" Viktor yelled into the phone. A dramatic habit that continued despite how well Viktor knew Yuuri and the legendary clumsiness that went with him. "Are you okay, my love?! I will come right now if you are hurt!" Yuuri heard the distinct whistle on the other side of the phone, signaling Makkachin to his lease.

"No!" Yuuri shouted a little too loudly, noticing how his voice echoed against the walls in the empty practice space. "I'm fine, I tripped is all."

"Yuuri," Viktor whined into the phone, "it has been hours. Dinner is ready."

At the mention of food Yuuri's stomach audibly grumbled. This sound also echoed, making Yuuri giggle. "Alright, Vitya," he knew using the nickname would soften Viktor enough to keep him from lecturing Yuuri about the late hour. "I will head home now." Reaching down to unlace his skate, he felt the soreness of his bottom ribs. Sucking in the pain, he hissed, "I love you," through clenched teeth.

"I love you too," Viktor chirped, "and when you get home, I am going to thoroughly examine the damage you have done to yourself."

The call went dead in Yuuri's hand as other parts of him sprung to life. Viktor's examinations of Yuuri's injuries seldom resulted in a PG rating. Now even more encouraged to reach their shared apartment, Yuuri hastily tossed his skates into his bag, throwing it over his shoulder as he walked. He pulled the piece of paper from his pocket that contained all the information as to how to properly close the rink for the night. At the Ice Castle, he could have subconsciously executed the closure proceedings. Here in St. Petersburg, he was still anxious to prove to Yakov that his presence wouldn't negatively affect the Russian skaters. This included a painstaking amount of care with all of Yakov's instructions. Finally pausing at the entrance, his slow execution of Yakov's closing routine was interrupted by the ping from his cell phone. He rarely read his emails, letting Phichit and Viktor have direct access to his account so that it didn't become overrun with spam, but the one that popped up caught his eye.

"Buzzfeed social experiment – Katsuki/Nikiforov"

Yuuri blinked at the subject line trying to recall ever directly interacting with the quasi-news outlet. Other than the embarrassing post about himself that Viktor had convinced some hopeless romantic to let him publish, Yuuri couldn't remember his name ever appearing in conjunction with the company. Curiosity got the best of him and he opened the email, brows furrowed in concentration. The glow of his screen illuminated his face, a beacon of alarm in the darkened room.

"Dear Mr. Katsuki and Mr. Nikiforov,

We greatly appreciate your willingness to participate in our Valentine's Day couples social experiment. Attached you will find your itinerary for your Buzzfeed day in London. Please advise us of your travel arrangements if they have already been made. If you have not already made travel arrangements and need assistance in doing so, please do not hesitate to contact me.

We are looking forward to working with both of you on this project!

Sincerely,

The Buzzfeed Project Team"

Locking his phone, Yuuri could process only one thought as he locked the doors to the rink. Viktor is a dead man.

*****************************  
The sound of the door told Viktor that Yuuri was home. The slam of the door told him that he should probably hide. Ducking into the bathroom, Viktor locked the door, scooting comically far away from it. His phone dinged in his hand. Nervously he looked at the message.

"He checked his email," read Phichit's message, causing Viktor's eyebrows to raise as far as they could go. "He knows about BF."

 _Well_ , Viktor thought, _I can either stay in this bathroom until I die of starvation or I can walk out and let Yuuri be my cause of death_. He didn't get a chance to choose as the locked popped on the bathroom with the door slinging open immediately. "Yuuri! It is a good thing I wasn't on the toilet! I forgot you could open that door." Viktor was trying to sound cheerful, masking the heat and fear he felt from the furious expression of his fiancé. "How was your solo time on the ice?" His voice was still even, despite Yuuri stalking into the bathroom at a terrifyingly slow pace.

"Viktor Nikiforov," Yuuri's voice was quiet, with a hint of danger tinging it, "explain yourself." Moving passed Viktor without touching him, Yuuri removed his practice clothes placing them in the plastic bin reserved for their sweatiest items and stepped in the shower. Noting his fiancé's interest in his naked form, Yuuri purposefully snapped the door to the shower shut, closing himself away from Viktor's view. The vindictive part of him relished in the whine of the other man.

"What part of me would you like me to explain, Yuuri?" Viktor waited until the shower started to slowly remove his own clothes. There was a noncommittal noise escaping the shower. If Yuuri wanted to play games, Viktor was ready. Slipping silently into the shower, he grasped his fiancé's hips turning his body to face Viktor's own. "Do you want me to explain how much I love you? Or perhaps how much I want you when you get that angry look on your face?" Taking a chance, Viktor leaned it to kiss Yuuri. The strong splash of water to his face left him with the sputtering realization that Yuuri wasn't going to let him off the hook that easy.

"Try again," Yuuri scrubbed his hands through his hair, refusing to touch Viktor, even though his stare was causing Viktor's skin to crawl in a very delicious way.

"Help me out a bit, Yuuri," Viktor pouted back into the beautiful angry face. Yuuri Katsuki had many weaknesses, but Viktor's puppy eyes was certainly at the top of the list and he was using them to the best of his ability.

"You know exactly what I am talking about," Yuuri used his index finger to attempt to push Viktor's bottom lip back up, the anger slipping from his eyes at the stubborn resistance of Viktor's pout. Suppressing a smile, Yuuri urged Viktor on with one word. "Buzzfeed."

"Ah, yes, well… that," Viktor looked anywhere except at Yuuri. "I thought it would be fun! We get to spend the weekend in London and it is really only about two hours' worth of time." He trailed off when Yuuri put a hand under his chin, forcing him to look his fiancé in the face. This was normally how Viktor calmed Yuuri and the role reversal was not lost on the coach. "It is for Valentine's Day and it sounds really sweet, and… oh Yuuri, I just want the whole world to know how much I love you!"

It was a cheap shot but it worked. Yuuri dropped his hand, sighing hard before sticking his face directly into the stream of hot water. Staying there until Viktor pulled him out, lovingly wiping the water from his face, Yuuri bought himself enough time to stay off his impending panic attack. "Really though," he dropped his exhausted head onto Viktor's shoulder, giving into the loving caresses on his back, "what have you signed us up for now?"

Viktor smiled into the wet shoulder, recognizing his own victory. "It is an interview," he paused trying to remember what the cheerful woman had told him on the phone, "they interview us each separately and then we watch the answers together. They film our reactions. It is going to be released for Valentine's Day!"

Yuuri sighed again. Viktor loved Valentine's Day, and despite Yuuri's general dislike for the holiday, he didn't want to disappoint Viktor. If the questions got too personal, Yuuri surmised that he could start babbling in Japanese until they gave up. Viktor might not like seeing that on video, but it would probably amuse Yuuri. He lifted his head, feeling the sleep invading his brain, and laid his forehead against Viktor's. "This will make you happy?" He already knew the answer, asking the question more to receive the reassurance of the answer.

"You make me happy," Viktor smiled, admiring the effects of his words on Yuuri's face, "this is a free trip to London and a chance to talk about how much I love you. I don't see the negative in that." He reached around to shut the water off, pulling Yuuri's towel from the towel warmer and wrapping the smaller man up. Securing his own towel, he playfully lifted Yuuri off of his feet.

"I guess we are going to London then." Yuuri let his head drop onto Viktor's shoulder, exhaustion stripping him of his ability to fight. "One condition though," Yuuri nuzzled Viktor's neck, feeling his love's moan against his lips, "bring me dinner in bed and let's not get out of it until tomorrow morning."

Placing Yuuri on the mattress, Viktor grinned with his hands on his hips. "Deal!" He rushed toward the bedroom door to retrieve their dinner. Turning on his heel, he glanced back at his sleepy ball of katsudon. "You'll see, Yuuri, it will be fun!"

Yuuri chuckled at Viktor's certainty. Shaking his head, he laid back on the headboard, counting in his mind all of the ridiculous things he had let Viktor con him into, all because he loved the man way too much for his own good. Interviews held the least amount of fun for him, but with Viktor by his side, anything was possible.


	2. Russia Skaters Tell It Like It Is

"You've got to be freaking kidding me." Yurio stood stretching against the wall, as Yuuri bent himself around on the floor. "Viktor is an idiot."

Yuuri wanted to disagree, but for once he couldn't deny that Yurio was right. Their trip to London was quickly approaching and with every day, Viktor became more obsessed with their interviews. At this moment, he was taking a break from practice to have his hair cut, thoroughly appalled that Yuuri refused to do the same thing. Going to the one person he knew would agree with his current frustration, Yuuri had sought out Yurio as he warmed up for afternoon practice. "He wants us to wear complimentary shirts," Yuuri remarked, not looking at Yurio since he already knew the facial expression the younger skater would be making. "And on multiple occasions he has mentioned whitening my teeth."

"Nothing he does is going to make your piggy face look good on a camera," Yurio casually tossed insults around the way most people said hello. "How long will you be gone?"

At least I'm beyond caring about Yurio's aggressive criticism of my face, Yuuri thought sarcastically. "Five days," he counted in his head to verify, "yeah, five days. And that's another thing, no practice for five days."

"For geezers like you two, that kind of rest is bad for the body. You'll have to find a way to work out in London." Yurio regretted the words as soon as they were out of his mouth.

"Oh, they'll work out, alright," Mila teased, skating off of the ice, "they'll work each other out for sure." Yurio gagged almost as hard as Yuuri blushed. The Japanese skater was still struggling with the blunt, sometimes sexual, nature of Mila. It was easy to forget how young she was, especially when she was as crude and full of curse words as all of the male skaters on the Russian team. "You know, Yuuri, if you want to go shopping for something special to wear for Viktor, I'd be happy to drive you." Mila winked at him as Yurio tackled her from behind.

"That's it, you're dead! Stop making my ears bleed with your filth!" Yurio wrestled Mila in the same way a younger brother would tussle with an older sibling. She was stronger than him though, flipping him over easily and bracing her forearm against his neck.

Getting used to the physicality of the Russian skaters was not coming quickly for Yuuri. Georgi was the type to constantly touch whoever he was talking to, Mila would throw any of them into a headlock at a moment's notice, and Yurio kicked and wrestled like his life depended on it. Between the three of them and Viktor's loving desire to touch him all the time, Yuuri was in a constant state of sensory overload since arriving in St. Petersburg.

"Ugh! You children! Get up!" Yakov's irritated command rang through the rink, halting Yurio and Mila in their wrestling match. "If either of you get hurt doing that stupid crap, I will tell the media you were injured doing something even more stupid. Do you understand me?" The skaters grumbles intermingled making their words unidentifiable as they untangled their limbs to stand. Yuuri snickered into his knee as he completed his stretches.

"Ay, Katsuki, what are you smiling for?" Yakov's tone wiped the smile from Yuuri's face. "Viktor is gone for the afternoon, so I am your coach. Prepare to pray for death." The older man's face was unable to hide his surprise when Yuuri glared at him and nodded. If Yakov thought he could be harder on Yuuri than Yuuri was on himself, he had a thing or two to still learn about the newest skater.  
***********************************************************

Yuuri did not stay late at the rink that night, acknowledging that his body was at the point of exhaustion. He had met every one of Yakov's demands, never questioning the man or giving him the attitude that the Russian skaters did. His parents' taught him to respect his elders, and he treated Yakov's requests in a way that would have made his parents proud. As he stumbled into the apartment, Yakov's biting praise still rang in his ears.

"My Yuuri!"

He was tackled by excited arms and furry legs when he was barely over the threshold of the apartment. Dropping everything to the floor, he allowed Viktor to pull his coat, hat, and scarf from his body as Makkachin licked his salty ankles. It was amazing to feel so at home in a place that he had lived for such a short amount of time. Inhaling deeply, he smelled take-out food combined with Viktor's cologne; the mixture had him sighing with happiness into the chest of his love.

"Yakov was raving about you!" Viktor yanked Yuuri into the room, pulling him toward the couch. "Well as much as Yakov raves about anyone. Apparently you are a very obedient and receptive skater. Unlike me, the hooligan Viktor Nikiforov. Can you believe he called me a hooligan?" Viktor's cheerful chatter filled the room with happiness, a reflection of his afternoon off. When he went to pull Yuuri onto the couch, the younger man yanked him back to his feet.

"Vitya," Yuuri warned, "if we don't sit at the table now and eat, I will fall asleep on this couch, never bathe, and then you will have nothing to do with all this energy you have saved up from missing practice." The cock of Yuuri's eyebrow had Viktor wiggling his own, pulling Yuuri to his body to kiss him.

"Bathe or eat first?" Viktor comically sniffed at Yuuri's shirt, "the last activity of the night has to wait until after both. I cannot handle your tummy grumbles or your practice stench in any setting more intimate than this."

Throwing his arms dramatically over Viktor's shoulders, Yuuri purposefully exposed his armpits, laughing when Viktor pretended to gag. "I wouldn't smell nearly as bad if someone hadn't left me to be tormented by a substitute coach. I think Yakov made me train for the both of us this afternoon."

Viktor ducked away from Yuuri dramatically holding his nose, running behind the couch when the dark-haired man grabbed for him. "You get yourself clean, I'll reheat the food."

Eyebrow raised, paired with the smirk on his face had Viktor looking at Yuuri with a weary glance. Kicking off his shoes, Yuuri launched himself over the couch, catching Viktor as he fell to the ground. Intermingling kisses with brutal tickles and recruiting Makkachin to lick Viktor's face, Yuuri wrestled Viktor until his sides hurt from laughing. When he finally let Viktor escape with stream of Russian curse words in his wake, Yuuri hauled himself from the floor feeling a lightness around his heart.

"After dinner," Viktor called from the kitchen, still slightly out of breath from Yuuri's playful attack, "you can try on the outfit I bought you for our interviews!"

Releasing his own strand of Japanese curse words, Yuuri plodded into the bathroom, intent on drowning himself in the claw bathtub.


	3. Say You Won't Let Go

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I needed a transition from St. Petersburg to London, and this headcannon has been eating my brain for over a month. It could function as a stand alone one-shot, but I like it as a part of this fic. 
> 
> Say you won't let go by James Arthur is the song. Every time I hear it, my thoughts go straight to these two adorable men. Since I don't have any skills when it comes to editing or putting together video, the best I can do is try to write it! 
> 
> I hope you enjoy this!
> 
> And here's the theme song in case you want to listen while the song portion of this is taking place: [Say You Won’t Let Go](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yBSrShgC9o)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter will be Yuuri and Victor's independent interviews. Chapter 5 will be them watching each other's interviews. 
> 
> There is going to be so much fluff and sweetness, we'll all need dentist visits.

The morning was full of bursting suitcases, sloppy dog kisses, and rushed showers as Victor and Yuuri attempted to make their flight to London on time. Makkachin had been safely dropped off to the watchful eyes of Yakov, although Victor had added a twenty minute delay, counting all one hundred strokes of their dog's fur before he would allow them to leave the house. Yuuri had spent a notable amount of time reminding his fiancé that Yakov would spoil Makkachin rotten while they were gone, and it was most likely that their dog would refuse to come home once they returned. This sentiment, which was meant to be encouraging, sent Victor into a guilt spiral, leaving Yuuri slightly exasperated, but also tainted with guilt. He had made a comment out loud about their level of ridiculousness and needing to get it under control before they had kids, inadvertently causing Victor to jump into his arms at the mere mention of future progeny. Yuuri lovingly wrapped his free arm around Victor's waist and let him hang off the side of his body until they were forced to separate at airport security.

The flight from St. Petersburg to London was barely over three and a half hours and due to the amount of coffee and anxiety storming through his chest, Yuuri knew he would never sleep. He settled himself next to the window, arm laid lazily over Victor's leg, set to stare out of the window and daydream for the duration of the flight. Beside him, Victor fiddled with his carry-on bag, moving different items into the seat pocket in front of him before finally stowing the bag under the seat. A cheery flight attendant approached them, offering champagne, which Victor accepted for both of them, wiggling his eyebrows at Yuuri as he forced the glass into his hand. Yuuri rolled his eyes, but accepted the glass anyway. Although he would not drink enough to get drunk, he was hopeful that a little bit of alcohol would relax him.

Happily letting the bubbles tickle his tongue, Victor enjoyed the mid-range champagne offered in first class. It was a triumphant win for him to convince Yuuri to book these tickets, the final argument being that they only had to pay the upcharge fee as the rest of the ticket cost was being complimentary provided. He knew that Yuuri was more conservative about money, mostly because he sent checks home to Yuuko and Mari every month. It pleased Victor that Yuuri had finally given in to indulging on himself a bit. First class was far more comfortable for Victor's legs, even though this was the one point he never used in his arguments. If Yuuri knew how physically uncomfortable the other seats were for him, it would act as Victor's trump card and he wasn't completely comfortable with that idea.

Thirty minutes into the flight the captain announced that electronic devices could be used and Victor sprang forward so quickly it made a startled squeak resound from Yuuri. Briefly distracted from his belongings, Victor planted a kiss to Yuuri's lips, unable to resist the adorableness that was a ruffled Yuuri. It was possible that anything Yuuri did was adorable to Victor, but the little squawks and squabbles were definitely amongst the top of Yuuri's most endearing sounds. The top was the way he said Victor's name at the height of pleasure, but Victor hastily shoved that thought away knowing that such thoughts would get him in trouble. Regaining control of himself, he pulled a pad of lined paper, several pens, and his phone from the seat pocket. Laying his tray down, he lined all the items up, aware that Yuuri was watching him. When he was comfortable with the set up, he plucked a set of earbuds from his chest pocket, plugging them into his phone and offering one side to Yuuri.

"Are these new?" Yuuri inquired, examining the black bud on the end of the red wire. "Weren't your old ones white?" Shrugging, he hooked the earbud into his right ear so he could still hear Victor when he spoke.

"Yes, I couldn't resist, they are red, Yuuri!" Victor looked at him as if Yuuri had any idea what the significance of the color would be. When Yuuri lifted his shoulders nonchalantly, Victor smacked his forehead with his palm. "It's symbolic!" Victor made this statement as if it would magically clue Yuuri into whatever nonsense he was spouting. "You know, the red string of fate? We were brought together by music, so our red string of fate," he shook the earbud string for affect, "is right here!"

The red string of fate is a Chinese lore, Yuuri thought to himself with amusement. It wouldn't have been a malicious error on Victor's part, more of pure excitement over the idea of soulmates and everlasting love. His love was a fearless romantic and Yuuri found that it inspired him to be more open with his affections. Even though he hadn't found a way to be overly bold with his romantic gestures, Yuuri had found more subtle ways to express his love for Victor. Getting on a plane and going to London to embarrass himself in an international interview was certainly one of those ways.

"I bought a set for Yurio, too!" Victor was still talking as Yuuri's brain had vacated the conversation.

This statement was enough to bring him crashing back into it, causing Yuuri to choke on his champagne. "Why would you buy a set for Yurio?" he was obliviously not concerned about any romantic intentions between Victor and Yurio, so it was a question mainly fired out of curiosity.

"So he can use them with his Otabek friend," Victor stated, matter-of-factly, ignoring Yuuri as he unintentionally inhaled the rest of his drink.

Yuuri let the flight attendant refill his glass, shaking his head at Victor as his coughing subsided. "If he figures out that you have assigned some sort of symbolism to them, Yurio will absolutely kick your ass all through Russia."

Shoulders lifting and falling with little acknowledgement of the potential danger of Yurio's wrath, Victor frowned down into his phone, changing the direction of Yuuri's attention. Soft sounds were hissing passed Victor's lips, unintelligible and seemingly not English. Once sitting back, he propped his phone up at the top of the tray, tapping the play button at the bottom of the screen. The soft lyrics of the British singer filled their ears as they flashed across the screen. It was rare, even now, for Victor to listen to English music. With the exception of a handful of songs, he generally preferred music that was native to Russia. Yuuri waited until the last line faded out, finally looking at Victor to inquire as to how he came about the song.

"Phichit," Victor stated as if it was a normal occurrence. Seeing Yuuri's eyebrows disappear into his hairline, Victor clicked his tongue, saying a silent prayer that Yuuri wouldn't throw him from a perfectly good plane. "After the night that we announced our engagement in Barcelona, Phichit sent me this song. He said it made him think of us, which I wholeheartedly agree." Yuuri didn't look mad, so Victor pressed on. "He also made this." Victor clicked to a saved video on YouTube, careful to keep his attention directly on the screen.

 ** _I met you in the dark, you lit me up._** The lyrics sang into his ear, as Yuuri saw a picture of himself post GPF 2015, looking emotionally crushed on a bench next to Celestiano.

 _ **You made me feel as though, I was enough.**_ The next picture was of Victor, looking aloof as camera bulbs flashed during the press conference of the same year.

_**We dance the night away, we drank too much.** _

_**I held your hair back when, you were throwing up** _

_**And then you smiled over your shoulder** _

_**For a minute I was stone cold sober** _

_**I pulled you closer to my chest.** _

Yuuri watched as the embarrassing photos from the infamous drunken banquet flashed across the screen, silent videos intermingled. The heat rose on his cheeks, embarrassment peaking when he heard Victor whisper, "I still can't believe you don't remember that."

_**And you asked me to stay over** _

_**I said, I already told ya:** _

_**I think that you should get some rest** _

A still of Yuuri's arms flung over Victor's neck slowly came into focus over top of the lyrics. The blue tie, which was now fondly tied to the bed post on Victor's side of the bed was acting as a headband on Yuuri's sweaty forehead, the only covering on his lower half was his black boxer briefs. He let a small moan loose, only feeling slight reassurance from Victor's squeeze on his leg. It still baffled him why Victor and Chris insisted on reliving that night, but the thoughts were lost as the next set of pictures appeared.

_**I knew I loved you then** _

_**but you'd never know.** _

_**Cause I played it cool** _

_**when I was scared of letting go** _

A close up of Victor's flushed face, barely visible over Yuuri's drunken head showed his red cheeks and wide eyes. Yuuri had never paid attention to Victor's expression, usually too distracted by his own embarrassing behavior to notice anyone else in the pictures. He glanced at Victor and saw a mirrored image of the one on the screen. He felt his heart begin to swell.

_**I know I needed you,** _

_**but I never showed** _

_**But I wanna stay with you** _

_**until we're grey and old** _

_**Just say you won't let go** _

_**Just say you won't let go** _

In rapid succession there were pictures from the season, some taken by friends, others professional shots from their interviews. A series of small, private smiles and intimate touches captured by outsiders. Yuuri felt the tears begin to gather behind his lids.

_**I wake you up with some breakfast in bed.** _

_**I'll bring you coffee with a kiss on your head.** _

Back-to-back shots of each of them sleeping with Makkachin, obviously stolen from their Instagram selfies, capped off with a shot of them as Victor handed Yuuri coffee outside of the practice rink in St. Petersburg. The lump was the size of a golf ball in Yuuri's throat.

_**I'll take the kids to school,** _

_**wave them goodbye** _

_**And I'll thank my lucky stars for that night** _

Pictures of them playing with the triplets on the ice in Hasetsu, a picture of Yuuri with Minami, and lastly a picture of Victor being pummeled by Yurio flipped through the screen. It was the comic relief Yuuri needed to avoid sobbing in the middle of the airplane.

_**When you look over your shoulder** _

_**For a minute I forget that I'm older** _

_**I wanna dance with you right now, oh** _

_**And you look as beautiful as ever** _

_**And I swear that everyday it'll get better** _

_**You make me feel this way somehow** _

Yuuri watched as their bodies fell in slow motion onto the ice, love pouring out of both of them in the middle of China. He had forced himself to avoid these public images because he knew his anxiety would pervert them, but seeing them now paired with the lyrics was making his chest ache. More pictures crossed the screen. The two of them with their hands raised in a restaurant in Barcelona, one of them wrapped together in the kiss and cry, and one of them posed together at the end of their exhibition pair skate. Then, on top of the last lyrics, they floated onto the screen together, the lyrics of their song replaced with the British singer.

_**I'm so in love with you, and I hope you know** _

_**Darling, your love is more than its worth in weight in gold** _

_**We've come so far, my dear** _

_**Look how we've grown** _

_**And I wanna stay with you until we're grey and old** _

_**Just say you won't let go** _

The tears blurred his vision and he felt the hiccup rise from his belly. The words were a perfect match to so many of the things he felt for Victor. He couldn't believe Phichit had put this together for them. Pushing up his glasses, he wiped his tears away, determined to see the last seconds of the video.

_**I wanna live with you, even when we're ghosts** _

_**Cause you were always there for me when I needed you most** _

_**I'm gonna love you til' my lungs give out** _

_**I promise 'til death we part, like in our vows** _

_**So I wrote this song for you, Now everybody knows** _

_**That it's just you and me until we're grey and old** _

_**Just say you won't let go** _

The last pictures moved through the screen, flashing back to their time in Hasetsu when they were just figuring things out and leading all the way to a picture that Yuuri knew Victor had only taken the day before. The last picture in the set was Victor and Yuuri standing in the middle of the ice in St. Petersburg. Yuuri recalled the conversation, knowing it was surrounding around step sequences, though anyone looking at the picture could see the love radiating all around them. It was like a flash of bright light that existed only in their immediate vicinity. The screen went black, gold words appeared that read, "Victor and Yuuri, a love that inspires us all," as the last lyric faded away. It was the last string of Yuuri's control, and he let the tears flow freely down his face. He heard his name whispered from the seat next to him, and found Victor's beautiful face also covered in tears. Not caring who was looking, Yuuri smashed his lips to Victor's, tasting the salt of the tears between them. Finally releasing him, Yuuri leaned his forehead on Victor's shoulder. "You honestly thought it was a good idea to show this to me in public?"

Laughter bubbled out of Victor, as he threw his arms around Yuuri. "To be fair, I started crying in the first verse when I tried to watch it this morning, so I hadn't seen the whole thing either." Victor nuzzled into Yuuri's neck.

Scoffing, Yuuri wrapped his arms tighter around Victor. They were making a scene, which had unfortunately become the norm for them. "Maybe if you couldn't watch the first few seconds without crying, that should have been your sign." His laughter mixed with Victor's, and he ducked to find his fiancé's lips again.

"I did have a point in showing it to you though," Victor forced himself to untangle from Yuuri, pushing the pad toward him on the tray. "What would you think about coordinating an exhibition skate to this song for this year? You could even wear that awful tie around your head!" Squeals erupted from Victor as Yuuri pinched his sides, mercilessly tickling him until the woman across the aisle cleared her throat at them. Yuuri would have been embarrassed, if it wasn't for the wink she shot in his direction.

"We can coordinate it, but," Yuuri laid his head on Victor's shoulder as he searched YouTube for the music video without their images, "if we can't get through it without crying, we'll have to abandon the idea." Restarting the song, Yuuri felt the tightness in his throat almost instantly. Trying to suppress the emotions, he raised an eyebrow at Victor who also appeared to be struggling. "I'm not wearing a tie on my head," he was thankful for the relief of the laughter, smiling hard as Victor buried deep into his shoulder.

They spent the rest of the flight suggesting moves, sometimes serious, sometimes teasing, but always surrounded in the love that had inspired the whole world.


	4. The Interview!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri and Victor finally arrive at Buzzfeed in London to participate in their interviews! Per the usual, everyone falls in love with this adorable dorky duo as they embarrass and adore one another :)
> 
> Songs mentioned in this chapter:  
> [The Way](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBgZYTuSAK8)  
> [Fancy](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0yOzQjYSmQ)  
> [Wiggle](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmLqttOo4-g)  
> [Dark Horse](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_kSuV5UJxmc)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was fun to write, but also a nightmare to format! Anything typed in regular font is current time, bold type (and bold type/italics) is the replay of the interview. It is easier to follow that it sounds, I’m just being paranoid because I have rewritten this final chapter so many times.  
> Yup, this is the final chapter! Thanks for being patient with it :)
> 
> Yuuri and Victor reference the occurrences in these fics:  
> [Rock, Paper, Scissors](http://archiveofourown.org/works/10333964)  
> [Birthday Reunion](http://archiveofourown.org/works/10104206)  
> [Welcome Home, Yuuri](http://archiveofourown.org/works/10103672)
> 
> (If you have any interest in understanding their references! RPS is humorous and the other two are fluffy)

 

They woke up in the plush bed, arms and legs wrapped together, bodies sticky from sleeping so closely under so many covers. Bare skin sliding together felt decadent against the soft blankets, making Yuuri moan in delight. Victor reacted to the sound by pulling him closer, snuggling deeper into his pillow and smiling into the messy head of hair resting on his chest.

Somewhere beyond Yuuri’s reach an alarm began to sound from Victor’s phone. He felt Victor shift, and wrapped his arms tighter around the waist underneath him, preventing Victor from moving. “Just leave it,” Yuuri mumbled, strategically placing his moving lips over Victor’s nipple. It was convenient that they hadn’t bothered to get dressed the night before, letting Yuuri casually manipulate Victor into ignoring the increasing buzz.

“Behave, my Yuuri,” Victor made a hissing noise through his teeth when Yuuri used his own to nibble the soft nub of Victor’s nipple. “We need to get up and, um,” Yuuri’s hand slid over Victor’s thigh making him lose his words. “I had an argument here,” Victor swallowed hard as the path of Yuuri’s wandering fingers took a dangerous turn, “yes, I believe an argument, it… we… you know…” it was useless. Using his size against Yuuri he flipped his fiancé onto his back, meeting the challenge in the brown eyes head on with Victor’s own competitive desires.

* * *

 

Their interview process was scheduled to begin at eleven a.m. starting with individual interviews, while the other person participated in a photo shoot. Once they had both been interviewed, there would be pictures of them together while the room was rearranged. It seemed a little convoluted to Yuuri, but it wasn’t really his place to judge, and his mind and body were too relaxed after trapping Victor in the bed for several rounds of tension release that morning. It was 10:59 when they stepped into the Buzzfeed building, allowing Yuuri the opportunity to remind Victor that they weren’t late. They were playfully bantering over the not-early-is-late concept when a brightly dressed woman approached them.

Her name was Katie, and her excitable nature was both overwhelming and contagious. Victor took to her right away, excitedly bouncing through the lobby hanging on every word spoken by the pretty orange-haired woman. Yuuri’s hand was going numb from Victor’s exuberant squeezing, so he unwrapped his fingers, choosing to slip an arm around the small of Victor’s back, letting his fingers drift just beyond the border of decency as they walked.

The corridors were long, spreading out in every direction from the main lobby. Katie talked them through the process, even though Yuuri had already anxiously memorized all of the requirements for the day. At the first open door they reached, Katie waved a hand dismissing Victor into the room filled with cameras and a bright white background. In usual Victor dramatics, he dipped Yuuri low, kissing him for embarrassingly long amount of time, before wishing him luck and disappearing into the swarm of photographers and assistants. Yuuri gulped. Everything felt safe with Victor by his side, without his reassuring presence the walls seemed to be closing in on him.

“Ready?” Katie’s dark red lips smiled at him, kindness flowing from her in a simple word. Yuuri nodded, still trying to gain confidence in the situation. He followed her into the small room, settling himself in the chair marked with his name, ready to humiliate himself for the world to see.

* * *

 

At some point, Yuuri remembered Victor saying that it was a two hour commitment, sighing as he stood next to the man he loved, cameras firing away in the middle of their third hour. Yuuri had never been one to do photo shoots, only participating when his sponsors had insisted upon it. Victor on the other hand was loving life. Props flew on and off the white backdrop, as Victor yelled “catch” to whatever intern was closest to him at the time. Yuuri had held signs, worn hats, and smiled until his cheeks were numb. “My face hurts,” Yuuri whispered to Victor as they were rearranged into another pose.

“I can fix that!” Victor grabbed his face with both hands, planting messy kisses on his cheeks, bringing a wrinkle to Yuuri’s nose.

He tried to escape, exclaiming loudly about the cameras, but tripped backwards on a discarded prop, bringing both himself and Victor to the ground in a heap of arms and legs. The closeness was what did him in, the smell of Victor’s cologne, the weight of Victor on his chest, and the sheen of Victor’s lips aided by the numerous applications of chapstick. It had been hours since he had kissed Victor, and Yuuri felt temporarily insane, rising to capture Victor’s lips with his own. The man was always far too tempting, as far as Yuuri was concerned, and it took multiple very loud throat clears and several clapping sets of hands to break them apart.

“Sorry!” Victor called, heart-shaped smile separating red cheeks, “we got carried away! Feel free to use the pictures though!”

“Ughhh, you would!” Yuuri complained throwing his arm over his face. The heat on his own cheeks seeped through the thin fabric of his dress shirt.

A giggle came from across the room as Katie entered, spotting the two lovebirds sprawled on the floor. “I hope you got shots of that!” she searched the faces of her camera crew, pleased when they all enthusiastically nodded in her direction. Standing over the couple that she had repeatedly fallen in love with over the past few hours, she raised an eyebrow at their still unmoving forms. “We’re all set up, do you two need a minute?” She sniggered when both men turned beet red. “Come on, you two.” She spun on her dress heel, walking toward the door.

Standing first, Victor pulled Yuuri from the floor, making quick work of straightening their clothing, with the exception of his slow production of wiping dust from Yuuri’s butt. His actions made the interns giggle, as Yuuri snagged his hand, dragging Victor out of the room back to the interview room.

“Have a seat,” Katie pointed to the chairs with their names on them, “I’m going to sit off camera again, and you’ll sit there. This,” she tapped on a computer sitting on the table, “is where you will watch each other’s interviews. When the final spread is established, we’ll cut the footage together so viewers can see what you see. Depending on the length, we’ll make a final decision about how much we’ll use. Does that make sense?” Katie acknowledged the nodding heads in front of her, leaning back to signal the camera operator. Once the thumbs up flashed from behind the lens, she turned to them and smiled. “Now it is time to watch your significant other’s answers!” her voice was so cheerful, Yuuri wondered if she ever got a headache from being so upbeat. “Yuuri, your answers are first!”

He groaned, as Victor clapped next to him, practically vibrating in his chair with anticipation. Yuuri swore he blacked out during his interview, only remembering vague bits and pieces which did nothing to settle the churn in his stomach. He prayed that he hadn’t made a complete ass of himself. Katie’s voice interrupted his internal panicking.

“All you need to do is hit that button,” she watched as Victor moved his hand forward, “no, the other button,” she flicked a finger to the right, nodding when Victor hovered over the correct one. “If you need to pause at any time, just hit that button again. This is going to be continually filmed, so no stopping on our end unless absolutely necessary.” Flipping her clipboard in her hands, Katie nodded again at them. “Ready when you are, fellas.”

Grinning, Victor eagerly jabbed at the button, throwing an arm around Yuuri as his nervous face appeared on screen. Katie’s voice asked the questions, but Yuuri remained the sole vision of the camera.

**_“Name?”_ **

**Yuuri Katsuki**                   

“Aw, love, you look so cute!” Victor squealed, one hand over his mouth. “I told you that shirt was perfect!” Yuuri stayed silent, frozen by the nerves that had taken over his whole body. Doing the interview hadn’t been that bad. Watching himself on film, while being filmed, was a brand new level of horror.

**_“And who are you currently dating?”_ **

**Glancing down at his hand, Yuuri smiled, the tinge starting to spread on his cheeks. The answer was common knowledge, still, saying it out loud always made his heart dance.**

**“Victor Nikiforov. Legendary figure skater, and my fiancé.”**

**Shyly Yuuri raised his hand, spinning the gold ring with his thumb. He noticed the interviewer’s grin, and grinned back like the fool in love who he was**.

“Oh my gosh, I love your face!” Victor smashed his cheek against Yuuri’s as he hugged him, eyes never leaving the screen in front of them. There were chuckles from the crew, making Yuuri’s blush glow darker. He tried to pry Victor off of his body, but his fiancé wound himself tighter instead. At the rate they were going, Victor would be in his lap before this part was over.

**_“So, tell us, how did you meet?”_ **

**Noticeable thought crossed as wrinkles took over Yuuri’s forehead. Memories had flashed through Yuuri’s mind of a slightly sad Victor standing outside of the GPF asking for a picture. Then a more racy memory, of Victor butt naked, posing in his family’ onsen telling Yuuri that he was going to be his coach. He had briefly considered telling this story, opting to at least start with a different memory.**

**“I first met Victor when I competed in the junior division. He was already making splashes in the senior division, whirling his hair around like some sort of skating god. Which I guess technically he is.” Yuuri stopped talking, fidgeting with his hands in his lap.**

“Yuuri,” Victor purred with his eyebrows pinched, “why are you lying? I told the truth in my interview.” Yuuri’s jaw dropped, knowing that Victor probably divulged all of the embarrassing events of the 2015 banquet. He was not comforted when Victor roared with laughter, throwing an arm back around his thoroughly embarrassed fiancé. Yuuri was glad his answer wasn’t over.

**“Then, right before last season, Victor showed up at my family’s onsen in Japan and greeted me, completely nude. You could say that left an impression.” There was a smugness about Yuuri’s answer as he looked straight into the camera.**

Victor fell out of his chair. Yuuri attempted a mild glance downward as he paused the video, his façade falling to laughing pieces at the disheveled and alarmed look on Victor’s face. “You were saying?” Yuuri jokingly questioned Victor as he yanked him into his seat.

“I’m almost scared to see the rest of it now,” Victor reached forward hesitantly, tapping the button again.

 ** _“So is that when you fell in love?”_** Katie’s face had looked strangled as she tried to maintain a professional tone and hold in her amusement. It wasn’t visible on the video, but Yuuri clearly remembered the expression.

**Yuuri smiled. It started small and then broke over his whole face, pinching his eyes together. “Actually, that’s happened twice,” he said simply, waiting to see if he would be asked to elaborate. When the interviewer waved her hand, he continued. “I fell in love with the skater, Victor Nikiforov, before I really knew what love was. I was a child, watching my idol skate in a way I only dreamed of doing someday.” At this pause, Yuuri went back to playing with his ring. “The second time I fell in love with him, I fell in love with Victor Nikiforov, the man. The silly, loveable, caring, big-hearted, dog-loving man who stormed into my life, throwing the light on and dragging me kicking and screaming toward my full potential. The first time, he gave me someone to look up to, but the second time, he gave me someone to lean on. I have been in love twice, and only twice, with the same exact man.”**

There were tears forming in the eyes of all the Buzzfeed employees as Victor’s own cries caused him to launch into Yuuri’s arms. “My darling,” Victor wept, peppering kisses across his face, “that was so beautiful! Turn the video off now, nothing could be better!!” Yuuri laughed, patting Victor on the arm. “Oh no you don’t, I want to hear your answers!!” Settling Victor into his side, Yuuri reached forward to start the video. His fiancé’s sweet reactions fueled his confidence in the rest of his interview.

**_“What’s the best thing about Victor?”_ **

**“That’s easy,” there was no hesitation from Yuuri, as he could shout Victor’s praises all day, “he loves life. Everything he does, he does with commitment and joy. I have never met someone who could make practicing a grueling routine as fun as going on a date, but Victor does. He turns everything he touches into beauty, he lights the whole world up with his enthusiasm. It is impossible to hate anything when he is around. I have never met anyone so positive and full of life, he makes everything better just by existing.”**

Now Victor was openly sobbing, holding onto Yuuri as if he would float away if unanchored. Yuuri felt his own tears running on his cheeks, happiness chasing them knowing that he had made Victor happy enough to cry. He was relieved that all the pictures needed had already been taken, giving up on looking anything but ridiculous on the video portion of this ordeal.

**_“He has some flaw though, right? I mean, if you could change one thing about Victor, what would you change?”_ **

**“Nothing,” Yuuri says flatly. There isn’t even a thought in his head when he replies. Victor is perfect, flaws and all, and Yuuri wouldn’t change a damn thing about him.**

**_“But, if you had to pick something, because, hey, it’s my interview and I say you do!” She laughs, even when Yuuri pouts at her._ **

**He heaves a sigh. “If I had to pick one thing, it would be that he would know how much he means to everyone in his life. And not because of his skating. I wish he could really understand how much I love him, how much my family loves him, and how much everyone he knows loves him. I don’t think he has really wrapped his head around it.”**

**_“That’s not quite what I meant….”_ **

**“Sorry, that’s all I’ve got,” Yuuri dismissed the line of questioning with a dull look into the camera, causing the camera operator to snicker.**

“I think you are trying to kill me, Yuuri!” Victor has a hand braced over his heart, still leaning full bodied onto Yuuri’s side. His cheeks pink and tear-stained. Victor looked so adorable, Yuuri ignored the cameras and kissed him. They separated with laughter when throats started clearing all around them. It seemed to be their theme for the day, trying to make all the Buzzfeed employees feel uncomfortable.

**_“Well, ok, then,” Katie flipped through her notes, choosing her next question. “Tell me, who is more romantic?”_ **

**“Definitely Victor,” Yuuri chuckled, knowing he could never compete with the level of Victor’s romanticism. “He does all these little things, like leaving me notes in my skates, or buying me my favorite candy if he goes to the store. He also does really big things, like paying to have things shipped from my families’ onsen to remind me of home. When I moved to St. Petersburg, he spent all this time incorporating Japan into his home to make me feel welcome. It was one of the sweetest things anyone has ever done for me.” His voice was quiet at the end, emotion marking his face as he swallowed hard. He did not want to cry on camera.**

Yuuri could see the restrain against his emotions on his digital face, knowing that the version of him starring from the computer screen would be mortified by the tear-streaked version of himself. He resigned himself to this with a shake of his head.

**_“Living together must have been a big change, how do you separate the housework?” She looked exceptionally happy with herself over the transition and the posing of this question._ **

**“I really, really hope you ask Victor this question! He has some strong opinions about the public’s view of his chore performing!” Yuuri was lost in giggles for a few moments, composing himself to answer the question accurately. “Really, in everything we do, it is a competition. If I clean the bathroom, he cleans the kitchen and we race to see who does it better and faster. Laundry we work on together, I fold and he hangs. Everything else sort of organically works itself out. We rock, paper, scissors over vacuuming though. It terrifies Makka, so we both hate it. Whoever loses vacuums, whoever wins takes Makka for a walk.” With a smile and a tip of his finger, Yuuri adds, “I rarely lose. It’s become quite a thing actually.” It was a hilariously sore subject with Victor, who had suggested on multiple occasions that Yuuri was actually a mind reader who was cheating at their game. His smirk grew bigger as he thought of his adorable fiancé’s pretend temper tantrums, especially since they had started tracking their wins with the stickers Chris had sent them.**

“You cheat,” Victor threw out, nudging Yuuri with his elbow. “I know you read minds, I just have to find a way to prove it!” Yuuri shrugged, whispering viciously into Victor’s ear, “It’s still 97 to 2 you know.” Victor playfully scowled, folding his arms again. “Stupid chart,” he mumbled making Yuuri giggle.

**_“How about for fun? How do you spend your down time? Any favorite hobbies or movies?”_ **

**This one was easy. “We love to go out to eat, as we are both big foodies. We spend an inordinate amount of time researching restaurants, always dragging each other to whatever new places we find. Sometimes the places are terrible and we end up eating cereal when we get home, but we have also found some real gems through our adventures.”**

**_“What else?”_ **

**“Um, well,” Yuuri tried to remember everything they did together on a regular basis. “We do watch a lot of movies. Victor likes musicals. I have to screen them very carefully though, because if anything happens to an animal, it will destroy him. I mean, an animal cannot have any hurt feelings at all, not just animals getting hurt. We watched Homeward Bound together, which has a happy ending, but he still cried off and on for days about Shadow getting hurt. In fact, edit this part out or he’ll start crying again.” **

Victor does indeed start tearing up at the mention of Shadow. “He fell in a ditch, Yuuri! But he climbed back out and made it home!”

Yuuri wraps his arms around Victor, consoling him over the fictional dog and his fictional injuries. He looks straight into the camera and mouths, “I told you so!”

**_“Switching gears, what is your favorite date that you have been on with Victor?”_ **

**“Barcelona,” Yuuri looks pointedly into the camera, not elaborating even when prompted. All of the memories of that night were meant for the two of them alone, but he wanted Victor to know how important it was to him. He figured Victor would understand, even if Katie looked puzzled.**

“Oh, Yuuri! Your face is so sexy there!” Victor leans forward toward the screen, smiling like a deranged man. “Barcelona is definitely at the top of my list too!”

Yuuri turned to him, lifting an eyebrow, “you didn’t say Barcelona, did you?” His tone was covered in mock teasing, pulling a mock pout from Victor.

“No, I didn’t say Barcelona. I said the 2015 GPF banquet.” If looks could kill, Victor would be a vaporized pile of human ashes on the ground. “To be fair, I also said the 2016 GPF banquet was a close second.” Yuuri groaned and buried his head in hands, now more scared than ever to watch his fiancé’s answers.

**_“Okay, last two questions, both are more for fun. What is a song that you would love to see Victor skate to?”_ **

**His whole being brightens as Yuuri sits up straighter, dazzling smile aimed directly into the lens. “This is an easy one, although, there are a lot of songs I would love to see him skate too. First there is an old song called “The Way” by an American singer named Clay Aiken. Every time I hear it, I think of Victor. If you don’t know the lyrics go look them up and you’ll understand. The other song I want to see him skate to is Fancy by Iggy Azalea or… Oh! Maybe Wiggle by Jason Derulo, also American.” He barely gets the last part out as he bursts out laughing, covering his face with his hands, shoulders shaking so hard that the camera makes him appear blurry. It takes Yuuri a full minute to recover from his own joke.**

When he sees it again, he repeats the process all over, laughing so hard he is actually wheezing. Victor looks completely offended, crossing his arms over his chest, refusing to laugh until Yuuri whispers, “you know what to do with that big fat butt,” and they both lose it. They are laughing hysterically, pounding on each other’s backs. The laughter is contagious, even if the crew isn’t in on the joke and they have to pause recording and reset before they can continue. Even as they start to roll again, Yuuri and Victor make eye contact, losing their composure and collapsing into a fit of giggles. “You are the slightest bit evil, mon amour,” Victor hiccups, trying to compose himself. “This is almost over, right?” He looks off camera for confirmation. “Good, a little payback is in order.” Yuuri pales at the wicked look on Victor’s face.

**_“Last question, what is something you know about Victor that no one else knows?”_ **

**“Hm, well there are some things that I’m not willing to share,” Yuuri looks to be contemplating his answer. “Ah, I got one!” He smiles again, cheeks flushed from his laughing fit, eyes sparkling with end of the tunnel relief. “He loves printed socks. He will wear these incredibly fancy suits, but then tuck on these outrageous socks. If anyone knows this, it isn’t many people, but it is one of my favorite quirks that he has.”**

“Why would you tell them that?!” Victor looks scandalized, placing his hand back over his heart.

“Honestly, Vitya,” Yuuri slips his arm around his fiancé’s waist, “I could have said much, much worse. Just think about all the socks that will get thrown on the ice at your next competition!”

Victor considers the thought with a finger to his lips, finally shrugging and seemingly letting the topic go. Turning to Katie, who is standing off of the visible screen, he blatantly perks up. “My turn now, right?” Victor cheers as Yuuri moans, absolutely terrified about what type of embarrassing answers Victor gave the reporter.

There is a pause while they reset the video to show Victor’s interview, giving them both a chance to get water. Yuuri is eying Victor suspiciously, when he is pulled in for a hard kiss. “Your answers were so sweet, Yuuri,” the hearts filled Victor’s irises as he spoke, “I hope you like mine!”

“How embarrassing are they?” Yuuri questioned, not necessarily trusting Victor’s judgment on the matter. Up until this point, Yuuri had actually managed to have fun in the process. Katie wasn’t intimidating as journalists went and he had felt relaxed for most of his interview. He didn’t even mind Victor seeing his taped answers, admittedly loving all of his favorite person’s reactions to the things he said. Yuuri even thought he had survived the photo shoot afterwards with a monochrome amount of skill. Surviving the viewing of Victor’s answers, however, might be the most anxiety producing aspect of the whole day. His fiancé was far more open than he was, and Yuuri had a sneaking suspicion a lot of overshare had occurred during Victor’s time with Katie. Victor never answered his question beyond a shrug of his shoulders, and they were ushered back in front of the camera before Yuuri could press him on the matter. The look Katie was giving him did not reassure him about what he was about it watch.

Victor’s bright smile filled the screen as soon as the play button was pressed.

**_“Name?”_ **

**“Victor Nikiforov. Soon to be Victor Katsuki-Nikiforov. Best to keep it alphabetical, I’m sure you understand.”**

Yuuri sparred a look in Victor’s direction, seeing the lopsided grin and shrugging shoulders. It was a good thing Victor was so cute.

**_“And who are you currently dating?”_ **

**“Correction: I’m engaged to the world’s most humble and stunning man, Yuuri Katsuki. Soon-to-be Yuuri Katsuki-Nikiforov. Doesn’t that have a nice ring to it?” Victor’s grin could have powered the sun.**

“You are too beautiful for words,” Yuuri sighed, mentally comparing his image on camera to Victor’s. Where Yuuri had been awkward, Victor was elegant. Anyone seeing this was going to see that they were mismatched. It made Yuuri’s stomach feel queasy and he reached out to grab Victor’s hand to steady himself.

 ** _“Tell us how you met this humble and stunning man.”_** Although they still couldn’t see Katie’s face, Yuuri could hear her smiling. Victor had that effect on people.

**“Oh, well, I had noticed Yuuri for years, but he never spoke to me. I knew he was a fan of my skating, of course, because he had incorporated some of my elements into his performances. I don’t think he ever paid attention to the fact that I did the same with some of his elements. The triple axel wasn’t a standard jump in my performances, until I realized it was his favorite.” Victor grinned again, nervously drumming his fingers on the table. “We didn’t really meet, not officially at least, until the 2015 GPF. Our first meeting will be one I always remember, even if he doesn’t.” Victor winked viciously into the camera, letting his answer end there.**

“Could have been worse,” Yuuri sighed, squeezing Victor’s hand. “Were you serious about noticing me? I didn’t even know you knew I existed.”

Victor nodded solemnly, “even when you weren’t at your best, you had an unique way of moving on the ice. I knew who you were before you threw your half naked body on me at the banquet.”

“Victor!” Yuuri exclaimed, whirling back to the camera, “did you record that?” He groaned loudly when the camera man gave him a cheeky thumbs up.

**_“So was the banquet where you fell in love?”_ **

**Victor looked deep in thought for a moment, gathering his words before speaking. “I would say there was definitely an element of love at first sight, but I really fell for Yuuri when I saw the video of him skating my routine. You’ve seen the one, right?” Victor looked over the camera, seeing a nod from Katie. “I’m sure that the rest of my heart left me that night, and found its way to Yuuri. I was on a plane the next day, ready to embrace that love. It took Yuuri a little while to get there himself, but I waited, knowing that my heart had become a fixed point.”**

It was Yuuri’s turn to cry over Victor’s words, tears falling untouched as he buried his face in Victor’s neck. It wasn’t that he hadn’t heard Victor talk about falling for him, on the contrary Victor talked about it all of the time. It was the first time; however, that he had heard Victor talk about patiently waiting for him, and reassuring Yuuri, almost by accident, that his heart had never changed its intentions while Victor sat waiting for Yuuri to come around. It was a relief to know that Victor’s love had survived Yuuri’s decidedly annoying hesitation at the beginning of their relationship. Victor let his own tears fall again, holding the smaller man close until Yuuri eased away. In the back of Yuuri’s mind he had the glancing thought that Yurio was going to mock them endlessly about this interview.

**_“So, what is the best thing about Yuuri?”_ **

**“Honestly?” Victor looked teasingly into the camera, “how much time do you have? I’m not sure that there is a time limit on how long I can talk about the best things about Yuuri!”**

“You are super embarrassing,” Yuuri remarked, blushing over his face and through his ears.

“You don’t know how to take a compliment,” Victor teased, pulling Yuuri’s hands down and making him watch the screen.

**“Yuuri is so sweet and thoughtful, to everyone around him. The little things he does, like complimenting Yurio on his spins, or noticing that Mila has changed her hair, those things make the people around him feel valued. He considers his family above all else, including me and Makkachin. Oh! And Makkachin loves him, maybe sometimes more than me. He is a fabulous cook, when he wants to be, and he draws an amazing bath. But mostly, my favorite thing is that he is the best person I know, and he doesn’t even realize how amazing he is.” Victor made his entire statement with barely a breath in between thoughts, throwing his arms wide as he spoke. On anyone else, the gushing would have seemed insincere, but with Victor, every word rang with truth. “Also,” Victor added with a wink into the camera, “he is an amazing pole dancer. You wouldn’t believe how well those skills transfer to… other things.” Another wink.**

Yuuri didn’t say anything, he starred at the screen feeling a little dumbfounded. It was almost easier to tackle the feelings of embarrassment than to find a way to accept the compliments. He opted to sit awkwardly, clicking his tongue, while Victor patted him on the head. “I meant it,” Victor rested his chin on Yuuri’s shoulder. The interview continued on the screen.

 **_“Very sweet, Victor, although we may come back to that pole dancing tidbit,”_ ** **Katie said, quickly moving on. _“So, if you could change one thing about Yuuri, what would it be?”_**

**“What did he say about me?” Victor sat up so fast, that he knocked himself backwards, grabbing the edge of the table. He swore in Russian under his breath.**

“What could you possibly have been so paranoid about, Vitya?” Yuuri was staring at him with his brows knit in confusion.

“My _hair_ ,” Victor whispered ominously, covering his head with both of his hands.

“Oh, not this again!” Yuuri pulled the hands away from the silver hair. “You make me want to pull my own hair out with this mess. And we can’t both have thinning hair.” He hit the ground with a thud when Victor shoved him off a chair. Yuuri laughed, gathering himself from the floor, smacking a loud kiss against the top of Victor’s head as he settled back down. Victor continued to pout at the screen, mumbling under his breath about how evil Yuuri could be, the smile playing on his lips conveying the humor.

**The Victor on screen had resettled in his chair, arguing with Katie about why she wouldn’t tell him what Yuuri had said. Finally resigning to answer the question, Victor visibly exhaled. “I guess, I would change Yuuri’s level of confidence in himself. I would want him to see himself the way I do, the way everyone else does, so that he could feel as confident as he does on the ice when he is off of it. Of course,” Victor placed a finger against his cheek, “if he was on-ice-confident all the time, we would probably never leave the apartment or put on clothes for that matter. Confident Yuuri is irresistible.” Victor winked at the camera, again.**

“Really?!” Yuuri turned his incredulous face to Victor, who shrugged in response. “I cannot believe you said that! What if my mother watches this Victor?!” Yuuri dropped his head on the table.

“I’m pretty sure she already knows,” Victor patted Yuuri’s back, “we aren’t exactly the quietest of lovers.”

“Yeah, that,” Yuuri banged his head on the table resulting in a loud thump, “that definitely made it worse.”

“Moving on,” came Katie’s voice from the other side of the table, her laughter barely contained at Yuuri’s embarrassment.

**_Her on screen voice asked, “who is more romantic, you or Yuuri?”_ **

**“Yuuri,” Victor said without hesitation.**

“What?” Yuuri slightly lifted his head from the table to stare confusion into the side of Victor’s face. “How can you even think that?”

Waving a hand at the screen, Victor shook his head at Yuuri. “If you would let _that_ me explain, you’ll have your answer!” He muttered about Yuuri’s impatience under his breath, causing Yuuri to snicker.

**“I buy flowers and presents, but Yuuri, Yuuri does a thousand little things every day that make me all mushy,” adding to his statement, Victor leaned forward to rest his cheek on his palm. “He makes me lunch, every day, even on off days, he still makes lunch. And he puts little notes in there, reminding me that he loves me and to have a good day. Sometimes, he sings when we take a bath, low and beautiful, and always one of our songs.”**

“Now the world knows we bathe together,” Yuuri flings an exasperated hand at the screen.

“Shh! Not the point, Yuuri!” Victor scolds, using two fingers to turn Yuuri’s attention back to the screen.

**“He always puts my favorite pair of sweats in my drawer, even though they are his. If we have to travel separately, he packs his night shirt in my suitcase so I can have it to sleep with. And he talks to me until I fall asleep on nights when we aren’t together. Romance isn’t all flowers and grand gestures, it is a million tiny things that make your heart go wild.” Victor looks love dazed, visibly swooning on camera.**

“I have a feeling you are going to be quoted on that part,” Yuuri kissed Victor’s temple, “both by your fans and by Yurio, who is probably going to take notes so he can mock you endlessly.”

“Let him mock,” Victor dismissed Yuuri’s concerns. “He’ll understand when he is older.”

“Yeah, you’re a dead man now, you know that, right?” Yuuri glanced back to the camera, pointing to Victor and whispering, “I’m sorry Yurio, his fault, don’t kill me.” Victor swatted at him, concentrating on the on-screen Victor instead.

 **_“It sounds like living with Yuuri has a lot of positives to it? Any negatives? How is he with chores?”_ ** **Katie’s voice was shaking with amusement, as Victor’s face fell on screen.**

**“For the record,” he looked fiercely into the screen, “I do the damn dishes.”**

Yuuri howled. He knew Victor would be pissed and take the opportunity to say something, but he had no idea how severe Victor would be on the topic. The video had to be paused as Yuuri crumpled in laughter.

“This is not amusing, Yuuri!” Victor whined, “everyone says I never do the dishes! It is all over the internet!”

Although he had heard the complaints constantly over the past month, it was an elevated level of funny in the moment. Victor’s current pout, combined with the death stare frozen on his face on the computer, was too much for Yuuri to process. He laughed until he snorted, clutching his stomach.

“I really don’t know why you find this so funny. They,” Victor’s hand waves nondescriptly, “have you painted as some sort of chore God, when you leave your cups all over the place!” His indignation brought his arms across his chest, a deep pout settling in over his lips.

Regaining himself, Yuuri slid his hands over Victor’s arms, “baby, does it really matter what anyone else thinks?” Pet names were Victor’s kryptonite.

“Whatever,” he loosened his hold on his elbows, letting Yuuri take his hands instead, “just play the thing.”

Still chuckling, Yuuri hit the button again.

**“We _share_ chore duties,” Victor’s hard stare hadn’t left the dead center of the camera. **

Yuuri was finding it impossible to hold in his laughter, shoulders shaking with the effort.

**“Everything we do is _joint_. Except the vacuum,” Victor mumbles something that no one could hear.**

**“Could you repeat that?” Katie asks.**

**“Nothing, it’s a stupid chart thing, not worth mentioning.” The salt coats Victor’s voice as he drops the subject.**

Smirking, Yuuri bites his tongue, following Victor’s lead and letting the subject drop. “Did you answer the favorite things to do question?” Yuuri looked up to Victor, who waved a hand at the screen. Shaking his head, he hit the button to continue.

**_Obviously, you two have fun not matter what you do, but what is your favorite thing to do together?_ **

**“Food. Everything food. Going out to eat, making new recipes, and watching cooking shows. We do all of it. Even bring food into the bedroom, you know what I mean.” Victor wiggled his eyebrows at the camera. “Sometimes, we try to cook along with a show that we have recorded. That always results in a delightfully fun mess!” Victor pauses only briefly, before continuing his list. “We like to take Makka for long walks. We like to explore the market together. We train together. Basically we do everything together, and it is all my favorite!”**

A soft kiss is graced on Victor’s cheek and he hums in appreciation. Yuuri feels a little light-headed after all the sweetness, letting the food-in-the-bedroom comment go and snuggling into Victor as the video continues to play.

**_This might be a hard one then, but what is your favorite date that you have ever been on with Yuuri?_ **

Groaning, Yuuri anticipatorily buried his head in Victor’s shoulder. If Victor was going to talk about their joint banquet experiences, he was going to hide what was left of his dignity.

**“Remember when I said Yuuri can pole dance? The first night I ever danced with him was the GPF banquet in 2015. He asked me to dance, flinging me around the dance floor with his powerful leadership and afterwards he spent almost an hour spinning around a pole with Chris. Christophe Giacometti, do you know him?” Victor continued his habit of asking Katie questions that the viewers could never see the answers to. “Then he comes to me and begs me to be his coach, promptly passing out and being carried away by his current coach. It was a night out of a naked fairy tale.” Eyes casting down, smile fading only a touch, Victor collects his thoughts. “The banquet at the end of this year was pretty amazing too, although there were significantly more clothes involved. A lot of dancing though, and Yuuri whispered so many sweet things in my ear. It is definitely a close second to the first one.”**

His cheeks, ears, and neck were so red, it appeared as if Yuuri had somehow managed to become sunburned in the time since Victor’s answer had started playing. He couldn’t remember any part of the night, beyond his tenth glass of champagne, and all of the skaters were still discussing his insane behavior. Yuuri was convinced it was Chris’ active goal to relive that night, and he had avoided drinking excessively since then. With the exception of the 2016 GPF banquet. He was very thankful that it seemed that Victor had moved on from the topic, but he kept his face buried in the strong shoulder anyway.

It was the question that finally had him peering at the screen.

**_What song would you like to see him skate to? I asked Yuuri this one, but I’m wondering how different your answers will be. His was very entertaining._ **

“To who?” Victor retorted, squishing Yuuri to him while shaking his head.

**“Well,” Victor’s eyes darted wickedly to the camera, “if he can skate to Dark Horse by Katy Perry as well as he can strip to it, I would love to see that.”**

Yuuri gaped at the screen, unable to avert his eyes from his own personal hell. “You… did… not… need… to… go… there,” the sentence was drawn out, every syllable dripping with embarrassment.

“You know what to do with that big fat butt,” Victor sang, reminding Yuuri exactly why he thought revenge was so sweet. Huffing, Yuuri feared the worst when it came to the rest of Victor’s answer.

**“I have several other songs that were produced based on my love for Yuuri that I would love to see him skate to. Anything really that highlights his beauty as a skater. No one is as beautiful as my Yuuri is on the ice. Hm, and we are also working on our pair skate for next year. The song for that one makes us both cry!” Victor became slightly emotional on screen. “If you want, I’ll show you the video Phichit made when this is over. Phichit is Yuuri’s best friend, he is the one who got Yuuri the pole dancing lessons.”**

It had taken almost the entire interview, but Yuuri finally smacked Victor on the arm. “Maybe, just once, in one interview, we could leave the subject of pole dancing _alone_.”

“I will never leave the subject of pole dancing alone,” Victor stated matter-of-factly, smugly flicking Yuuri on the nose. “Listen to my last question, love!”

**_“This has been fun, Victor. I only have one question left. What is one thing about Yuuri that you know that no one else does?”_ **

**The finger is back at Victor’s lips, tapping them as he thinks. A slow smile spreads on his face, “Yuuri loves Disney movies. He pretends like he is just this big gaming, super hero loving dork, when really he is what they call a Disnerd. Play a Disney song, he knows all the words. Watch a Disney movie, he recites all the dialogue. He also cries. Belle gets her Beast, tears. Little Mermaid becomes human, water works. Rapunzel marries Eugene, he is dead on the floor. You wouldn’t believe what a little ball of sap he is for Disney movies.” Victor looks very proud of himself as he concludes his speech.**

“But, but, really??” It shouldn’t be possible that Yuuri would still be surprised at this point, but Victor had just outed him to the whole world.

“Imagine,” Victor used the voice that was supposed to be his imitation of Yuuri, “how many Disney plushies will get thrown on the ice now.” He smirked when Yuuri shoved him lightly, grabbing the hand on his chest to pull Yuuri into a kiss. This time, they were able to control it and stop before anyone had to clap at them.

“You two are ridiculously adorable,” Katie was shuffling paper in her lap, “I honestly don’t think I have ever enjoyed interviewing a couple more. When is the wedding by the way?”

“Summer,” they both said in unison, catching each other off guard.

“Wait, did we start planning a wedding?” Yuuri looked thoughtfully toward the ceiling trying to remember if they had formally set a date.

Victor twirled his engagement band on his finger, looking pleased. “You gave me that planning journal and I have been putting it to good use. We will have a ceremony in Hasetsu in July,” placing his forehead on Yuuri’s temple, Victor lowered his voice, “your family already knows. But I plan on marrying you, over and over again, on every continent if you’ll let me.”

Anyone else would have been upset that they weren’t included in the decision-making, but Yuuri knew without question that Victor would plan a perfect ceremony for them. Hearing him talk about it taking place in his hometown made him feel giddy, not even willing to argue the ridiculousness of getting married multiple times.

“Idea!” Victor shouted, making Yuuri jump. “Katie, my dear, why don’t you come for the wedding? You can interview friends and family and make a little follow up to this interview! We are quite a bunch!”

There was an opinion in Yuuri’s head somewhere, but it drifted away when faced with the joint excitement of both Victor and Katie. Nodding his head, he silently agreed with all of the plans Victor was throwing toward the interviewer.

* * *

 

The article and adjoining YouTube video were released a week after they had returned from London. It had gone viral within the first few hours of posting, boosting a record breaking amount of heart emojis in the comments section. Their own group text with the skaters they were closest to was flying, mostly with good natured ribbing.

Phichit: “Um, hello, you two are going to kill the word with your adorableness!”

Yuuri: “Thanks, bud, it wasn’t so bad.”

Victor: “Not so bad?! Yuuri it was glorious! Look at the comments, we are inspiring!”

Yurio: “Inspiring my need to throw up. Old people love is so gross!”

Otabek: “not that bad. Be nice to your dads, Yura”

Victor: “yeah, Yura, be nice to your dads! And you know you have watched it at least ten times already!”

Yurio: “HADFAIHLEGSEJFD you aren’t my dads! I’m only watching it so I can write jokes! You geezers are really fucking sappy.”

Yuuri: “Language, Yurio.”

Yurio: “Fuck you”

Chris: “I’m in on that! Although I will settle for more pole dancing!”

Victor: “I second Chris!”

Yuuri: “Victor, No”

Chris: “Victor, Yes”

Yuuri: /facepalm

 

In a separate message between Yakov and Victor, the coach had a quieter sentiment. “You looked very happy, Vitya,” the simple words tightened Victor’s throat, “even with the inappropriate comments, I’m very proud of you.”

When Victor showed Yuuri the text messages, Yuuri had paid more attention to the soft glow of Victor’s face than the words of Yakov. The past year had been a wild ride, and with an impending wedding, and a new life in Russia, Yuuri felt a sense of overwhelming joy. This beautiful man pressed against him, who had come into his life like a tornado never letting his feet touch the ground, was all he needed to feel like the world was on his side. He had flown to London, survived an emotional and hilarious interview, and returned to a home that they were building together. Yuuri skimmed over the displays on the wall, lovingly built by Victor’s own two hands, then smiled down at the brown fluff ball at his feet.

Their love was ridiculous sometimes, full of teasing moments and never-ending support, but it was theirs. It was a love that was inspiring to those around them, and all-encompassing in its strength. As Yuuri wrapped his arms around Victor’s waist, pulling him down onto the bed, he relished how he had become so hopelessly and wonderfully devoted to his very own soulmate. When their eyes met, briefly before closing to place lingering kisses on waiting lips, Yuuri’s heart swelled, knowing without words that Victor felt the same exact way.

 


End file.
